As used in this application, the term xe2x80x9cdata streamxe2x80x9d refers generally to transmitted information, and a data stream may itself contain multiple data streams. A data stream may be HTML data transmitted from the Internet, or it may be a xe2x80x9cmedia streamxe2x80x9d such as an analog or digital TV broadcast signal, satellite TV signal, cable TV signal, or other audio and/or video signal. Media streams such as TV broadcast signals may contain several channels, and each channel may further contain audio, video, or other embedded data streams, including HTML data. Furthermore, HTML data is used to refer to any Internet-derived data, as opposed to solely data that is in the HTML protocol format, as the concepts described herein are equally applicable to other Internet-derived data, especially data that is transmitted in a widely accepted protocol.
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for using two or more cooperating but physically independent displays for enhanced viewing of data streams on each display, wherein the viewing of a data stream on one display does not interfere with the viewing of a data stream on the other displays. More particularly, the images may be derived from complex data streams such as multiple TV (television) broadcast signals (and/or cable TV or satellite transmissions or other video signals), Internet data, and/or other local data such as information related to the state of a consumer""s home appliances. In addition, the different displays may be available for viewing by more than one person.
As technology rapidly advances, there are more and more sources and types of information available to a consumer. For example, after TVs improved from simple black-and-white TVs to color TVs, cable and satellite TV became available. Most recently, Internet-enabled TV became available to provide both TV and Internet content. In a fast-paced society such as ours, consumers are looking for ways to enhance the overall viewing experience and to absorb more of the available information from various sources, in less time.
One of the simplest methods of obtaining more information is to use multiple independent displays, such as a having two TVs tuned to two separate channels, or two closed circuit cameras (e.g., security cameras) focused on separate areas. The problem with this method is that the person viewing the information may have to use various non-cooperating controllers for controlling the different devices, and may even have to physically change locations after viewing one display in order to be able to view another display. Additionally, this type of method usually involves fixed displays, as opposed to at least one portable display. And though it is possible to use a single universal remote control to control both TVs, additional problems exist including the cost of multiple TVs or monitors, the physical space required for the TVs, and the availability of other electronics hardware such as cable receivers, closed circuit wiring, etc.
Other multiple-display systems have displays in close physical proximity to each other and may display related data, but if integration of the data is to occur, it must be accomplished manually, as the underlying systems are not capable of doing so. That is because the physical display devices are each dedicated to providing a limited amount of information related to a limited topic of interest. Examples of these types of systems include radar screens and controls in a cockpit of an airplane, and medical instruments monitoring various vital signs of a patient in a hospital.
One method of enhancing the viewing experience involves using multiple displays to simultaneously display multiple duplicate data streams. This is common in electronics stores where many TVs are all tuned to the same channel, or in exercise classes where many TVs are all playing the same exercise video tape. Though perception of the data stream (i.e., TV program or video tape) might be enhanced in such a case, the viewer is only viewing multiple copies of the same data stream, and is not benefited with access to data streams of differing content.
Other multiple-display systems display separate parts of a single image, and the displays taken as a whole are designed to represent the desired image. The displays are arranged in a predetermined pattern such as side-by-side, in a matrix, or even to form a cylindrical xe2x80x9ccircle visionxe2x80x9d theater. Again, though the viewing experience is altered and perhaps enhanced, the viewer is only viewing what is designed to be a single image from multiple data streams. In fact, these systems may even detract from the desired image perception due to the gaps between the several display screens and/or the imperfect placement of the various parts of the overall image within the various display screens.
Another attempt to provide consumers with a method of viewing multiple data streams simultaneously to obtain more information, is through the use of windows-type operating systems used with PCs. The user may swap between multiple windows to view various data streams. However, these systems are designed under the assumption that the viewer concentrates on a single type of application at a time. Thus, the same physical display is used for the multiple windows that represent various applications. A particular window may be enlarged to cover the entire display, but then the benefit is lost of having the capability to view multiple data streams substantially simultaneously. Furthermore, the individual applications are typically independent of each other, and do not communicate with each other except for perhaps during data transfer. Even where multiple windows are viewed simultaneously, such as during video conferencing where a person may view multiple conference xe2x80x9cattendeesxe2x80x9d in various windows, the images of the attendees all appear on the same physical display, and the more attendees there are, the less room there is for each to be displayed.
Various systems also exist that attempt to solve the problem of viewing multiple data streams substantially simultaneously with two or more cooperating displays. A common system is a PIP (picture-in-picture) system, which allows simultaneous viewing of two TV programs at once, for example. Though the viewer may xe2x80x9cchannel surfxe2x80x9d a first data stream without affecting the overall image produced by the second data stream, both data streams are displayed on the same physical display, and therefore there is some degradation of the viewing experience of each. For example, a primary program may be playing on the entire physical TV display while a secondary program (the PIP) is playing in a small area in the corner of the display. The primary program is degraded due to the screen real estate used up by the secondary program, and the secondary program is degraded because it is not able to occupy the full size of the physical display.
Similarly, existing TV interfaces provide a wide variety of available functions such as data display (e.g., to adjust attributes of the TV and related devices), advertisements, Internet browsing, alternate channel viewing, etc. But the additional functions are all managed by assigning different amounts of the same physical screen to the additional function or functions. This approach of sharing the same physical screen real estate for all operations performed by a device means that combined activities restrict the display potential of each other, unless each activity occurs serially, which would defeat the entire purpose of allowing simultaneous viewing of multiple data streams in the first place. Moreover, the resolution of standard TV display formats such as NTSC (the American standard) and PAL (the British standard) are not very suitable for displaying static text.
Another type of system that involves data integration to some extent is a computer network, or even simply a remote PC communicating with a host. Software synchronizes the data files stored on each device, and files can then be downloaded from the host to the remote PC, edited remotely on the PC, and then transferred back to the host. However, this setup is designed primarily for one or the other device to be used independently. The simultaneous use of both devices occurs only during file transfer, or in some cases to achieve the same type of extended screen real estate for a single-image display that occurs with two or more displays side-by-side.
Thus it would be desirable to provide systems and methods for using two or more cooperating but physically independent displays for achieving enhanced viewing and/or browsing of data on each display, without affecting the viewing and/or browsing of data on the other displays.
The present invention is based upon the recognition that there are many situations in which users wish to view or otherwise perceive more than one data stream substantially simultaneously, without having the experience of any data stream degraded by the others. A hand-held, portable remote control with an integrated video display capable of displaying full motion video is thus disclosed, in combination with hardware and/or software that enables interaction between the TV or other primary display screen and the hand-held display. The hardware may include an integrated TV tuner and/or various data communication ports, or a physically separate base station with a TV tuner and/or various data communication ports. In the latter case, the base station and the remote control would communicate preferably via RF (radio frequency).
Many applications exist where the user or users may derive a great benefit from an additional display screen for user interaction, as will be discussed herein. One such situation is for users of TV systems that display text-based status information on the TV display during attribute adjustment (e.g., to volume, contrast, color, tint, brightness, sound, etc.), or for closed caption messages such as sports scores, stock quotes, etc. The remote control display may be used to display that information and therefore leave the primary viewing screen free of unnecessary clutter. For existing Internet-enabled TV the benefit realized is even greater due to the significant amount of screen real estate typically devoted to displaying navigational and other information. By adding a second display that communicates with the TV, all of the navigational interface can be removed from the TV screen, leaving much more room for actual viewing content.
Video games (both single user and multi-user) are another application where the users may realize a benefit from an additional display. Many computer games exist that allow multiple players in different locations to play with (or against) each other. These often take the form of interaction in on-line xe2x80x9cvirtual worlds.xe2x80x9d In order to play these games effectively, a user must be aware of the general topology of the virtual world, as well as where he or she is in the world in relation to others. The interface to the virtual world may be presented in various perspectives, and from various distances. In any case, the user""s sense of where he or she is in the world can be greatly enhanced by the provision of an additional view.
Similar advantages apply to other types of virtual world interactions, such as three-dimensional multi-user chat rooms, where the present invention would enable simultaneous first-person and alternative more global views from selected vantage points. This will greatly assist the navigation through the virtual world, and also increase the perceived immersion in the world by avoiding constant context-switching on a single screen.
Another application of the present invention finds use in working with Internet-enabled TV. Several companies are working on (or are marketing) technology that integrates TV and Internet content within the same signal. For analog signals such as TV broadcasts, Internet data is embedded within the VBI (vertical blanking interval). Examples of this are Intel""s xe2x80x9cIntercastxe2x80x9d standard (which some TV networks are already using), and Navio""s HTML-TV standard. Likewise, Thomson Sun Interactive has been using an xe2x80x9cOpen TVxe2x80x9d standard in Europe, in which the technology for both broadcasting and receiving signals with data embedded using the Open TV standard has been implemented. Another company, Starsight, markets hardware and software capable of receiving and decoding signals with embedded data, where the hardware and software is for use with third party units. Data may also be embedded in digital signals using the MPEG standard. The embedded data typically may be displayed as text and graphics independently of the image displayed from the normal video signal.
The present invention would allow both the regular signal, and the embedded data, to be viewed simultaneously on different displaysxe2x80x94something that is not possible using the technology provided by the aforementioned systems. This not only provides clearer viewing of both data streams due to elimination of screen clutter, but also allows xe2x80x9csemi-synchronousxe2x80x9d interactions with the TV and Internet data, as described herein.
The present invention is especially useful in family or group situations where multiple people are viewing the same TV screen simultaneously. One person could channel surf actual TV content on the hand-held remote control, while the other viewers enjoy the TV program on the primary display (e.g., the TV screen). This effectively turns a legacy TV into a TV with PIP capability, with the added benefit that the PIP is actually on a separate display. Using suitable communications infrastructure, which is described in more detail herein, the remote control""s display may also function as a regular portable TV.
Additional uses of the present invention may be for video-conferencing, wherein each of many displays may be used to show one attendee of the conference, or for controlling other various consumer devices and appliances such as those that respond to IR (infrared) commands, as disclosed in previously-referenced co-pending application Ser. No. 09/001,873. The full motion video capability of the remote control allows the user to view the output from security cameras, a video baby monitor, etc., or to use the remote control and its display to form part of a video phone system (with the addition of microphones), all without interrupting the primary display screen such as the TV display. And in an embodiment where the remote control has enough memory or access to an outside storage device, the remote control may also function as a convenient front-end to DVD (digital versatile disk) players and recorders, allowing the user to browse actual video, audio, and other recordings to select a desired title for playing.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved systems and methods for providing an enhanced overall viewing experience of multiple data streams.
It is a further object to provide improved systems and methods for allowing substantially simultaneous viewing of multiple data streams.
It is a further object to allow substantially simultaneous viewing of multiple data streams using two or more cooperating but physically independent displays.
It is a further object to provide a hand-held remote control with an integrated video display for providing the means by which one of the data streams is viewed.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of preferred embodiments which follow, when read in conjunction with the drawings.